"A real highlight!"

Philipp Eng: A victory for the history books

Philipp Eng was the first Austrian to win a top category race in Indianapolis. The Salzburg native is jubilant: "That was a real highlight of my career!"

"Am I the first? That's really mega." Philipp Eng had no idea when he spoke to the Krone that no Austrian had ever won a top category race at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway before. Last weekend, the motorsport driver from Salzburg therefore made history.

In the eighth of a total of nine races this season in the GTP class of the North American IMSA series, the BMW driver was able to celebrate victory together with his Finnish team-mate Jesse Krohn. "The year so far hasn't quite gone to plan, but this time we had a good race pace. The success was hugely important for the team," reports the 34-year-old, who returned to Austria yesterday.

The six-hour race turned into a real thriller in the final laps. "I had hardly any fuel and energy left in the car. But I still had to keep accelerating at the front, because our rivals were breathing down my neck. The feeling when I crossed the finish line was incredible."

"Sacred ground"
Also because motorsport is simply lived in Indianapolis. Eng explains: "You realize that you are on holy ground there. My wrist doesn't just hurt from driving, but also from signing autographs. The victory was a real highlight of my career."